Top bunker refrigerator car



Aug. 8, 1939. c. D. BoNsALL TOP BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed Nov. 22,1937 Patented Aug., .1939? v NETE@ STATE `4 arrasar Charles D. Bonsall,Pit

mesme ents Equipment Mannfactnring Cn, a co ration oi Delaware tsburgh,Pa., assigner, by

to S f i uw i Railway application November es. roer, sei-iai No. 175,762

12i canna The invention relates to refrigerator cars for handlingperishable commodities and more particularly to what is known as the topbunker type oi refrigerator car wherein an ice container is positionedadjacent the roof of the car and provided with a drip pan therebelow andspaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontally disposed duewhich communicates with a ver tical nue associated with the verticalwall ci the car. whereby air in the horizontally disposed ue beingcooled and densiled by the ice in the refrigerant container is caused todescend through the vertical flue 'from whence it rises through theforaminous false door and then-through the lading, and being warmedthereby, reenters the horizontally disposed flue andrepeats the cycle.

One of the objects of the invention is to form. the ice container sothat a part of the melted ice will pass through the bottom thereof tothe drip pan and a part of the melted ice will he temporarily retainedin the container'so that the melted ice so temporarily retained willhelp cool the air circulating through the horizontally disposed flue.

Another object is to provide means in the lower parts of the containerso as to allow the melted ice to gradually escape from the con- 'tainerinto the horizontally disposed flue over the drip pan so as to help coolthe sir circulating in the flue.

the container so as to retard the service movements of the car fromlswishing melted ice over the bottom of the container.

Another object is to form the drip pan so that it will retain some ofthe melted ice on the drip pan to aid in coolingv the circulating air.

Another object is to form the drip lpan to retard the service movementsof the car from w slushing melted ice around over the drip pan.

Another object is to form the ice container so that the melted iceescaping therefrom will be distributed over a relatively large area ofthe drip pan, or in other words, to evenly distribute such melted iceover the drip pan, and a further object is to also form the drip pan sothat it will evenly'distribute the melted iceover the width of thevertical nue associated with the vertical wall.

Another object is to provide means to prevent the melted ice as itdescends through the vertical ue from being accumulated at one sidethereof by the service movements ot the car.

Another object is to combine the advantages' s oi the improved icecontainer, drip pan and verancther object 1s to form the lower parte of(ci. cre-1c) tical due so that a large amount' of heat will be absorbedfrom the melted ice as it moves from the refrigerant container throughthe horizontally disposed flue and vertical flue. Studies have developedthat a great deal of the melted ice is now discharged from refrigeratorcars at a temperature around 342 which means that it still has a greatdeal of heat absorbing capacity, and as numerous ladings are carried ina refrigerator car around 45 to 50 temperature, it is the object oi thisinvention to transfer more heat in the circulating air to the melted icebefore it is discharged from the car.

'In the drawing: A

Fig. i shows part of a cross section of a railway refrigerator carincorporating some of my inventions.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing a horizontal sectionof the4 `wall of the car and the associated vertical ilue.

Fig. 3 shows the refrigerant container of Fig. l in perspective.

' Figs. i and 5 show partitions for providing the vertical ilue adjacentthe side wall.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the container oi Fis. 3.

Fig. '1 is a modircation` of the containers of Figs. 3 and 6.

In the form of the invention illustrated one or more refrigerantchambers or containers2 are preferably positioned on each side of thecenter line 8 of the car adjacent the roof l of the car and alsopreferably adjacent the side or other vertical wall 5 of the car.Hatchways 6 are provided in the roof above the container 2 for loadingit with ice or other refrigerant. The

. usual hatch plug 1 and hatchway lid are used. The partition I0 is heldin spaced relation to the side wall A5 by a series of vertical pieces I2to i form vertical nues i3 associated with the side wall li. Theinsulated horizontally disposed partition or drip pan I5 is positionedbelow the refrigerant container y2 and spaced therefrom to provide asubstantially horizontally disposedue i6, which flue, however, inclinesdownwardly toward and communicates with the vertical flue I3. Apartition or member i1 extends upwardly from the inner margin of thedrip pan i5 and is spaced from the refrigerant container 2 to provide ashort vertical flue I8. The vertically disposed members I1 on oppositesides of the center line 8 oi the car are spaced apart to provide anYair channel or passageway 2|. A floor rack or foraminous false floor 23rest: upon the invsul'ated door 24 and is spaced therefrom to proandrarefied by the lading, rises and passes upwardly through the passageway2l and vertical flue I8 into the horizontally disposed iiue I6 fromwhence the cycle is repeated.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the bottom of the containeris made of a metallic plate 33 formed with a plurality of substantiallyparallel corrugations 3| extending parallel to the wall 5 of the car sothat the melted ice instead of running to the lower part of the inclinedcontainer is partially retained in the grooves 32 between thecorrugations. I'he upper parts 33 of the corrugations are provided withapertures 34 (see Fig. 3) so that the overflow of melted ice may fallthrough to the drip pan I5. These apertures 34 are preferably dispersedover a large area at the bottom of the container 2 to sprinkle themelted ice over a large area of the drip pan I5. It may be desirable toprovide relatively small apertures in the lower parts of thecorrugations 3l; that is, the valleys between the corrugations 3| toallow the melted ice to graduallyescape from the container to the drippan. 'I'hese holes may also function as drain holes after the load hasbeen removed from the car. to the drip pan passes through thehorizontally disposed flue I Ii and further cools the air passingtherethrough.

In a railway car when the refrigerant containers 2 are positionedadjacent the side walls 5 thereof it is desirable to have as fewhatchways 6 in the roof 4 of the car as possible owing to leakage ofwater and heat, therefore, refrigerant containers are made relativelylong and extend lengthwise of the car so that normally it becomesdifficult to load the container with ice in the portions of thecontainer remote from the hatchway, particularly when the container hasa mesh or open bottom, as the ice catches on the openings therein.However, in my construction the corrugations are preferably positionedparallel to the side wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 1) where theyserve as runners so that ice may be easily slid to the remote portionsof the containers. 'I'he walls of the container are preferablyperforated. A

In the construction shown in Fig. 6 the corrugatiofns 33 extend normallyto the wall 5 of the car and function to retard the service movements ofthe car from slushing the melted ice 2 and a horizontally disposed flueI6 therebelow;

furthermore, provides great stiffness and strength for the plate againstdeection due to the weight 'Ihe melted ice falling from the containerand impact forces of the refrigerant in the container. Thesecorrugations are beams between opposite side walls of the container.However, ribs, bames, or similar projectionsl shown as 40 in Fig. 7, maybe used instead of corrugations and still perform the desired functions.y

I also preferably provide a drip pan I5 having the upper surface thereofmade of a metallic plate 42 formed with a plurality of corrugations 43which may extend parallel to the side wall of the car (as shown in Fig.6) or normally thereto (as shown in Fig. 3) for the purposes andadvantages set forth for the corrugations in the bottom of therefrigerant container. One of the objects of extending the corrugationsin the drip pan normal to the wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 3) is toprovide means to distribute the melted ice evenly, or substantially so,over the width of the vertical flue. The drip pan is preferablyinsulated by, for instance, the boards 45.

One of the objects of the invention is to distribute the melted ice fromthedrip pan I5 evenly over the width of the vertical iiue I3 associatedwith the side wall 5 but even when this is done service movements of thecar may cause the water to accumulate in one vertical side of the flue,therefore, I provide means to maintain the melted ice evenly distributedover the width of the vertical ue` I3 as it passes therethrough. Suchmeans may comprise a metallic plate 91 formed with a plurality ofvertical corrugations 98 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which are preferably in lalignment with corrugations 43 in the drip pan I5 when the corrugations43 extend normally to the side wall of the car. Another means toaccomplish this purpose comprises a plurality of vertical partitions I2which preferably are provided with spaced apart horizontal apertures IDU(see Fig. 5) so that air may pass between adjacent iiues I3-I3, whileonly a limited amount of water will be allowed to pass through thepartition. Fig. 4 shows a partition I2 provided with a phirality ofnotches IOI in each side thereof.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of theinvention, though it is to vbe understood that the invention is notlimited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as itis obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of theclaims, will occur to persons skilled inthe art. f'

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having a roof having a hatchway therein, a wallhaving a vertical flue associated therewith, an ice container positionedy below the hatchway, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced apartfrom the container to I provide a horizontally disposed flue slopingtoward and communicating with said vertical iiue whereby air in thehorizontally disposed flue being cooled and densifled by a refrigerantin the refrigerant container is caused to descend through the verticalflue, the bottom of said container being formed so that part of themelted ice will pass therethrough to the drip pan and part of the meltedice will be retained in the container.

2. In a refrigerator car having a roof having a. hatchway therein, a.wall having a vertical flue associated therewith, an ice containerpositioned below the hatchway, and a drip pan positioned below andspaced apart from the container to provide a horizontally disposed fluesloping toward and communicating with said vertical iiue whereby air inthe horizontally disposed flue being cooled and densifled by arefrigerant in therefrigerant container is caused to descend through thevertical flue, the bottom of said container being formed so that part ofthe melted ice will pass therethrough to the drip pan and part of themeltedlice will be temporarily retained in the container.

3. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the containeris made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugationsextending parallel to said wall and having apertures in the upperportion thereof.

4. A structure as defined in claim 2 wherein the bottom of the containeris made of a metallic plate formed with a. plurality of corrugationsextending parallel to said wall with relatively small apertures in thelower part of the corrugations to allow the melted ice to graduallyescape from the container.

5. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the containeris made of a perforated metallic plate formed with a plurality ofcorrugations.

6. A structure as deiined in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the containeris made of a metallic plate formed with-a plurality of corrugationsextending normally to said wall to retard the movement of the car fromswishing the melted ice over the floor of the container.

7. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the containeris downwardly inclined toward the vertical flue and made of a metallicplate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending parallel to saidwall and having apertures in the upper portion thereof.

8. A structure as deilned in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the containeris made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations andhaving apertures in the upper portion thereof, said apertures beingdispersed over a large area of said bottom to sprinkle melted ice over alarge area of the drip pan.

9. A structure as deiined in claim 1 wherein the bottom of the containeris made of a metallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations andhaving apertures in the .upper portion thereof, said apertures beingdispersed over a. large area of said bottom to sprinkle melted ice overa large area of the drip pan and the drip pan is made of a metallicplate formed with a plurality of corrugations extending normally to saidwall to cause the melted ice to remain more evenly distributed over thedrip pan.

10. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the drip pan is made of ametallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations. extendingparallel to said wall to retain some melted ice in the drip pan.

11. A structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the drip pan is made of ametallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extendingnormally to said wall to cause the melted ice to remain more evenlydistributed over the drip pan.

12. A structure as dened in claim 1 wherein the drip pan is made of ametallic plate formed with a plurality of corrugations extendingnormally to said wall to cause the melted ice to remain more evenlydistributed over the drip pan,

v said corrugations extending to said vertical flue to cause said meltedice to be more evenly distributed over the vertical flue.

CHARLES D. BONSALL.

